Written Answers Wednesday 2 August 2007

Scottish Executive

Bridges

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report on the Tay and Forth road bridges toll impact study.

Stewart Stevenson: Officials are currently considering the final draft of the study report and will report to Ministers in due course. We plan to publish the report in the near future.

Environment

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage carbon offsetting.

Mr Stewart Stevenson: Carbon offsetting is not a substitute for reducing emissions at source. The Scottish Government acknowledges that offsetting can have a role in helping to avoid emissions elsewhere, but that priority must be given to domestic emissions reductions. In order to provide clarity and certainty to individuals and businesses wishing to offset their emissions, the UK Government has proposed a voluntary code of practice for the provision of carbon offsetting. The Scottish Government is discussing the detail of the proposals with the UK Government with a view to considering appropriate options for Scotland.

Nuclear Weapons

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the transport and storage of nuclear weapons.

Bruce Crawford: : The majority of Scots support the Scottish Government’s view that nuclear weapons have no place in a modern Scotland. We plan to bring together key stakeholders from across Scottish civic life in an alliance of people who are opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons in Scotland. We will reflect on how the UK Government’s plans to replace Trident impact on devolved areas and will consider what we can do, within our devolved responsibilities, to persuade the UK Government to change its position on these matters.

Nuclear Weapons

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the setting up of a working group to monitor and report to the Parliament on the devolved impact of nuclear weapons based in Scotland.

Bruce Crawford: This Government wishes to be free to remove nuclear weapons from Scotland. The majority of Scots support that view. We plan to bring together key stakeholders from across Scottish civic life in an alliance of people who are opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons in Scotland. We will reflect on how the UK Government’s plans to replace Trident impact on devolved areas and will consider what we can do, within our devolved responsibilities, to persuade the UK Government to change its position on these matters.

Osteoporosis

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will increase the early diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Shona Robison: Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network Guideline 71 on the Management of Osteoporosis recommends the use of Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scans for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, and states that DEXA should be available in all NHS Board areas. This will be taken into account in the framework for access to community diagnostics which is being developed as part of the policy of shifting the balance of care to the community. We have drawn boards attention to the findings of an NHS Quality Improvement Scotland audit (2005) showing the benefits in preventing future osteoporotic fractures of direct access to DEXA scanning by patients who have sustained a fracture.

Planning

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of planning gain.

Stewart Stevenson: There is no precise agreed definition of planning gain. Section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to be amended by section 23 of the Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 sets out the powers available to planning authorities to enter into planning obligations with a developer or landowner. Circular 12/96 on planning agreements provides further guidance on policy on the use of these powers to enter into agreements to restrict or regulate the development of land. The Scottish Government is currently considering revision of the operation of planning obligations in Scotland. Any changes would be expected to be in place by 2009 and would take account of the views of relevant stakeholders.

Public Private Partnerships

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost to the taxpayer will be of all existing PFI/PPP projects over the course of their contractual life.

John Swinney: The total estimated unitary charges for all existing PPP projects over their contractual life is £22.3 billion. This covers 102 PPP projects and spans the years 1999-2000 to 2040-41, a period of 42 years.

Road Accidents

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic (a) fatalities and (b) injuries there have been (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) so far this year, broken down by (A) police force area and (B) parliamentary region, expressed also as a percentage of all road traffic accidents and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Stewart Stevenson: The numbers of road accident fatalities and injuries by police force area are published each year in Key Road Accident Statistics (provisional figures) and Road Accidents Scotland (detailed figures). These figures, together with statistics for parliamentary regions for the latest three years, are given in the following tables. They relate only to accidents that were reported to the police. The statistics given may differ slightly from those which have been published previously, due to (e.g.) subsequent late returns and amendments. Comprehensive figures for the first quarter of 2007 are not yet available. Fatalities by Police Force Area

  

Police Force area
Number
Percentage of Total
Percentage Changeover Previous Year


2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
2005
2006


Northern
32
27
30
10.4%
9.4%
9.6%
-15.6%
11.1%


Grampian
44
53
62
14.3%
18.5%
19.7%
20.5%
17.0%


Tayside
35
29
21
11.4%
10.1%
6.7%
-17.1%
-27.6%


Fife
30
15
19
9.7%
5.2%
6.1%
-50.0%
26.7%


Lothian and Borders
35
36
42
11.4%
12.6%
13.4%
2.9%
16.7%


Central
17
18
19
5.5%
6.3%
6.1%
5.9%
5.6%


Strathclyde
107
91
96
34.7%
31.8%
30.6%
-15.0%
5.5%


Dumfries and Galloway
8
17
25
2.6%
5.9%
8.0%
112.5%
47.1%


Scotland
308
286
314
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
-7.1%
9.8%



  Fatalities by Parliamentary Region1

  

 Parliamentary Region
Number
Percentage of Total
Percentage Changeover Previous Year


2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
2005
2006


 Highland and Islands
48
43
41
15.6%
15.0%
13.1%
-10.4%
-4.7%


 North East Scotland
54
55
65
17.5%
19.2%
20.7%
1.9%
18.2%


 Mid Scotland and Fife
60
42
46
19.5%
14.7%
14.6%
-30.0%
9.5%


 West Scotland
24
27
17
7.8%
9.4%
5.4%
12.5%
-37.0%


 Central Scotland
33
28
25
10.7%
9.8%
8.0%
-15.2%
-10.7%


 Lothian
17
16
28
5.5%
5.6%
8.9%
-5.9%
75.0%


 South Scotland
55
56
62
17.9%
19.6%
19.7%
1.8%
10.7%


 Glasgow
16
18
27
5.2%
6.3%
8.6%
12.5%
50.0%


 Not known 2 
1
1
3
0.3%
0.3%
1.0%
n-a
n-a


 Scotland
308
286
314
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
-7.1%
9.8%



  Non-fatal Injuries by Police Force Area

  

Police Force area
Number
Percentage of Total
Percentage Changeover Previous Year


2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
2005
2006


Northern
1,190
1,163
1,027
6.5%
6.6%
6.1%
-2.3%
-11.7%


Grampian
1,402
1,555
1,395
7.7%
8.8%
8.3%
10.9%
-10.3%


Tayside
1,426
1,283
1,285
7.8%
7.3%
7.6%
-10.0%
0.2%


Fife
982
914
889
5.4%
5.2%
5.3%
-6.9%
-2.7%


Lothian and Borders
3,648
3,566
3,506
20.1%
20.3%
20.8%
-2.2%
-1.7%


Central
926
876
832
5.1%
5.0%
4.9%
-5.4%
-5.0%


Strathclyde
8,054
7,557
7,311
44.3%
43.0%
43.4%
-6.2%
-3.3%


Dumfries and Galloway
564
676
618
3.1%
3.8%
3.7%
19.9%
-8.6%


Total
18,192
17,590
16,863
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
-3.3%
-4.1%



  Non-fatal Injuries by Parliamentary Region1

  

Parliamentary Region
Number
Percentage of Total
Percentage Changeover Previous Year


2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
2005
2006


Highland and Islands
1,641
1,589
1,436
9.0%
9.0%
8.5%
-3.2%
-9.6%


North East Scotland
1,809
1,972
1,830
9.9%
11.2%
10.9%
9.0%
-7.2%


Mid Scotland and Fife
2,222
2,027
1,966
12.2%
11.5%
11.7%
-8.8%
-3.0%


West Scotland
1,952
1,854
1,829
10.7%
10.5%
10.8%
-5.0%
-1.3%


Central Scotland
2,176
2,120
2,098
12.0%
12.1%
12.4%
-2.6%
-1.0%


Lothian
2,712
2,645
2,733
14.9%
15.0%
16.2%
-2.5%
3.3%


South Scotland
2,642
2,581
2,362
14.5%
14.7%
14.0%
-2.3%
-8.5%


Glasgow
2,737
2,656
2,427
15.0%
15.1%
14.4%
-3.0%
-8.6%


Not known 2
301
146
182
1.7%
0.8%
1.1%
n-a
n-a


Scotland
18,192
17,590
16,863
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
-3.3%
-4.1%



  Notes: 1. Figures for parliamentary regions are approximate as the road accident statistics system was not designed to provide figures for these areas. They are based on information collected and reported by the Police, and do not take account of any subsequent changes to the statistical information about the location of accidents that local authorities may have made, based on their knowledge of the roads and areas concerned. 2. In a small proportion of cases, the information provided about the grid co-ordinates of the location of the accident is insufficient to identify the Parliamentary constituency in which an accident occurred.